Cable grip



y 8, 1952 D. KELLEMS 2,602,207

CABLE GRIP Filed Jan. 18. 1949 I N VEN TOR. jflwpLlfsLw/m Patented July8, 1952.

. CABLE GRIP David Loyal Kellems, Westport, Conn., assignor to KellemsCompany, Saugatuck, Conn., a partnership consisting of Vivien Kellemsand David Loyal Kellems ApplicationJanuary 18, 1949,

Claims. (01. 24-9123) This invention relates to cable grips and moreparticularly to a cable grip which is split longitudinally in order thatit can be readily applied to a cable at any point in the latters length.

Split cable grips composed of interwoven strands have heretofore beensecured together along their longitudinal edges by means of leatherthongs, wire lacing or metal clips. Leather thongs and wire laces havebeen found unsatisfactory because it takes considerable time to lace theedges of the grip together and even then, suflicient strength is notprovided to hold the edges of the grip together properly. .Metal clips,while ofiering some advantages over the lacing method, are notcompletely satisfactory due to the fact that unless a specialftool isprovided, it is extremely, difficult toengage and disengage the clips.Furthermore, metal'clips'under the gripping forces produced by suchsplit grips while in use, have a tendency to mark or weaken the outercoverings of the cables.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved form ofsplit cable grip which will be free of the disadvantages of prior gripsof this nature, which will not require the use of special tools tosecure its longitudinal edges to gether and which can he'readily appliedand removed from a cable with a minimum amount oflabor and time. I

' Other objects of the invention, as well as the advantages thereof.will become apparent after a perusal of the following description whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. lis anelevational'view of a split cablegrip made in accordance with theinvention and illustrating the manner of applying it to a cable; Fig. 2is a similar view of such, grip showing it secured in position on thecable; the grip shown. having a modified form of interlocking pin, andFig. 3 is a side elevational view of the,

parts shown in Fig. 2.

Serial No. 71,532

continuous helices throughout the body of the grip (note Fig. 2 of thedrawings). At the other or inner end of the body portion II, .thesections of the strands are intertwined into two elongated rope-likesections I5 and I6, which are united at their ends by means of acoupling device H to form an elongated loop which may be readily graspedto apply a pulling force to the grip or by which the grip may beattached to a support.

The loops I3 and Iii formed along the longitudinal side edges of thebody portion II of the grip are stretched and twisted to provideoutwardly projecting loop-portions which are disposed. transversely fromthe plane containing such body portion so that the openings thereof arearranged to readily receive an interlocking member 20 moved or pushed ina longitudinal direction through such openings It will-be noted alsothat the series of loops I3 along the one longitudinal edge of the gripare so formed with respect to the loops It on the other longitudinaledge thereof, that the series of twisted loop por-, tions of the formerare slightly offset from the series of twisted loop portions ofthelatter, so that when the body portion I I of the grip assumes acylindrical form, the looped portions will be paired with their openingsin aligned relation. The openings in the loops I3 andIllareesufliciently large to enable the interlocking. member 20 to beinserted therethrough with relativeease; It will be understoodfrom theforegoing, that all that is necessary in applying the above describedgrip to a cable is to simply wrap it around the cable in the manner;shown inFig. 1 of the drawings, and then bya-manipulation of the fingersand starting from-the inner or-upper-end of the. body portion II,progressively bring the loops I3 and It together in associated; pairsand at the same time progressively, interlocksuch Referring moreparticularly to the. drawings,

the reference character Ill indicates a short section of cable of thetype employed as an electrical conduit. The improved grip comprises abody portion I I constructed of a plurality of wire strands ofsubstantially uniform length. Each strand which may be made of one ormore lengths of metal wire or other suitable material, is bent or foldedsubstantially midway its ends to form a loop I2 at the outer end of theholder. The two sides or sections. of each piece of wire extend fromtheir associated loop IZthrough the body portion of the, grip and towardthe other end thereof in zig-zag fashion to form the ,seriesof. sideloops l3 and It. The zig-zag sections of wire 7 in the body portion I Iof the grip are interwovenv in spaced relation to form an open meshedstruc-, ture and are so arranged or inclined with respectto thelongitudinal axis of the grip that when such body. portion is bent intotubular formand the loops I3 interengaged with the loops I4, the

ends of the zigzag sections forming such loops,

willbe connected to form in effect, substantially the grip will form anopen meshed-tube in which pairs together by.means of the elongatedinterlocking memberjlii. 'Whenthe fastener elements are thus connectedtogether, the body portion of the crossingportions of the strands arefree to move relative to each other and which-may be expanded readily byendwise compression there-. of .or contracted readily by endwiseextension. It will be noted that the portions of the strands forming thebody portion I I of the grip have been woven in such manner that thespacings between the strands. are progressively increased in size fromthe looped outer end portion thereof toward the inner end thereof, or,mother words,

the transverse zig-zag portions of-the wiresectrons. are disposed atprogressively decreased angles with respect to the longitudinal axis ofthegriptowards the inner end ofthe bodyportion Ii, so thattheinner endsof the loop I2 form a substantially circular terminal portioniofithegrip. This progressive variation in thesiz efof the spaces between thestrands -or in the .angle of thestrands with respect to thelongitudinalaxis, ,enab les thegrip; when an,- endwisemullyis made thereon, toinstantly grip the cable at its outer, closer woven end with sufiicientfriction to hold the grip in position against slipping. Thereafter, anendwise pull on the grip will cause the remaining portions of the gripto contract readily and progressively to gradually tighten the hold ofthe grip upon the object or cable from the outer end toward the innerend of the grip with suflicient friction to enable the object to besupported or drawn endwise by the grip. All that is necessary todisengage the grip,from the cable is to withdraw the interlocking member20 with an endwise pull; this operation being performed with easeregardless of the force of the pull that has been exerted on the gripwhile on the cable.

The interlocking member or pin may be straight throughout its length, asis illustrated by the pin 20 in Fig. l of the drawings, so that it canbe inserted through or removed from the loops I3 and I4 by a straightpush or pull, respectively, along its length. A pin of the type of pinZllmay be provided with a looped end 2| by which the pin may beconnected to section I5 of the hand loop without interferin with itsuse; it being understood that section I5 is of such length as to enablethe aforesaid operations to be performed by the pin. This constructionis of advantage in that the pin cannot be dropped or lost, which is ofespecial importance when the grip is being applied to a cable at aheight from the ground. Instead of the form of pin shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, a pin having the configuration of the pin 22 shown inFigs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, may be employed. It will be noted thatthe working end 23 of pin 22 is inclined or ofiset with relation to thebody of such pin and that the end 24 is doubled upon itself to provide ahandle by which the pin may be manipulated. In the use of pin 22, theend 23 is inserted through the innermost loops I3 and I4 andthen the pinis progressively threaded throughthe remaining loops by rotating the pinin a clockwise fashion, as viewed in Fig. 2-of the drawings, and at thesame time forcing it toward the outer or lower end of the grip. Thisconstruction of the pin enables a tight grip to be applied to a cableso'that it will exert its gripping action with relatively little pull. Apin of the form of pin 22 may also be removed to release the grip byexerting a straight pull on its handle 24,01 such removal may beaccomplished by rotating the pin as it is withdrawn. It will be observedfrom Fig. 2 of the drawings, that when the interlocking member or pin isassembled on the grip, the portions of wire forming the loops I3 and I4do not cross under such pin and consequently there is no danger ofdamage to the covering of the cable by such means of securing the gripthereon. In fact, it has been found by actual experience, that themarkings of the grip on a cable that has been gripped for some time, issubstantially less along the longitudinal length of the pin-loopconnection than with. respect to the remainder of the grip.

The construction shown in the drawings and above described areparticularly simple and efficient; both in construction and inoperation, but obviously various changes and alterations may be made inthe detailed constructions without depa'rtingfrom the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

' 1. A cable grip'comprising a tubular body portion consisting of asplit sleeve composed of a plurality of. strands so interlaced as toform an U a 4 open meshed structure with a,series of loops along eachlongitudinal edge thereof, the mesh structure of said body portion beingcapable of varying in a radial direction to increase and decrease thecross-sectional area enclosed thereby, the outer projecting ends of theloops in each series being twisted to provide loop portions projectingoutwardly from the tubular plane containing the strands of said bodyportion and disposed transversely to the longitudinal edge thereof sothat the openings of such loop porions are longitudinally aligned, theoutwardly projecting twisted loop portion in one of such series beingdisplaced longitudinally from the outwardly projecting twisted loopportions in the other of such series and such loop portions of bothseries being arranged in interfingered relation without crossing of thestrands of which such loop portions are composed and to form alongitudinally extending, bead-like projection on such grip, and meansextending through the alined twisted loop portions of both such seriesto detachably lock the same in interfingered relation, said lockingmeans consisting of a rigid elongated pin having a length at least asgreat as the bead-like projection formed by such interlocked loopportions and removably threaded lengthwise through the aligned openingin the twisted loop portions of both series, the exterior surface ofsaid pin being smoothto enable the interlocked loop portions to movelongitudinally on said pin under stresses tending to change the diameterof said body portion.

2. A cable grip comprising a tubular body por tion consisting of a splitsleeve having a draft end and being composed of a pluralityof strands sointerlaced as to form an open meshed structure with a series of loopsalong each longitudinal edge thereof, the mesh structure of said bodyportion being capable of varying in a radial direction to increase anddecrease the cross-sectional area enclosed thereby, the outer projectingends of the loop in each series being twisted to provide loop portionsprojecting outwardly from the tubular plane containin the strands ofsaid body portion and disposed transversely to the longitudinal edgethereof so that the openings of such loop portions are longitudinallyaligned, the outwardly projecting twisted loop portions in one of suchseries being displaced 1ongitudinally from the outwardly projectingtwisted loop portions in the other of such series and such loop portionsof both series being arranged in interfingered relation without crossingof the strandsof which such loop portions are composed and to form alongitudinally extending bead-like projection on such grip, and meanextending through the alined twisted loop portions of both series todetachably lock the same in interfingered relation, said locking meansconsisting of a rigidelongated pin havinga length at least as greatasthe bead-like projectionformed by such interlocked loop portions andremovably threaded lengthwise from thedraft end of said body portionthrough thealigned openings in the twisted loop portions of bothseries,'the end of said pin adjacent to the draft end having a handle bywhich the pin may be manually manipulated to insert it lengthwisethrough the through such loop portions being smooth to enable theinterlocked looped portionstofmove1on a I gitudinally on said pin understresses tending to change the diameter of said body portion.

3. A cable grip comprising a tubular body por-- tion consistin of asplit sleevefhaving a draft end and being composed of a plurality ofstrands so interlaced as to form an open meshed structure with a seriesof loops along each longitudinal edge thereof, the mesh structure ofsaid body portion being capable of varying in a radial direction toincrease and decrease the cross-sectional area enclosed thereby, theouter projecting ends of the loops in each series being twisted toprovide loop portion projecting outwardly from the tubular planecontaining the strands of said body portion and disposed transversely tothe longitudinal edge thereof so that the openings of such loop portionsare longitudinally aligned, the outwardly projecting twisted loopportions in one of such series being displaced lon gitudinally from theoutwardly projecting twisted loop portions in the other of such seriesand such 100p portions of both series being arranged in interfingeredrelation without crossing of the strands of which such. loop portionsare composed and to form a longitudinally extending bead-like projectionon such grip, and means extending through the alined twisted loopportions of both such series to detachably lock the same ininterfingered relation, said locking means consisting of a rigidelongated pin having a length at least as great as the bead-likeprojection formed by such interlocked loop portions and removablythreaded lengthwise from the draft end of said body portion through thealigned openings in the twistedloop portions of both series, the end ofsaid pin adjacent to the draft end having a handle by which the pin maybe manually manipulated to insert it lengthwise through the openings ofthe twisted loop portions of both series or to withdraw it therefrom,and the other end of said pin having a relatively short oifset workingend portion, the exterior surface of the portion of said pin betweensaid handle and said ofiset end portion being smooth to enable theinterlocked looped portions to move longitudinally on said pin understresses tending to change the diameter of said body portion.

4. A cable grip comprising a tubular body portion consisting of a splitsleeve having a draft end and being composed of a plurality of strandsso interlaced as to form an open meshed structure with a series of loopsalong each longitudinal edge thereof, the mesh structure of said bodyportion being capable of varying in a radial direction to increaseand'decrease the cross-sectional area enclosed thereby, the outerprojecting ends of the loops in each series being twisted to provideloop portions projecting outwardly from the tubular plane containing thestrands of said body portion and disposed transversely to thelongitudinal edge thereof so that the openings of such loop portions arelongitudinally aligned, the outwardly projecting twisted loop portionsin one of such series being displaced longitudinally from the outwardlyprojecting twisted loop portions in the other of such series and suchloop portions of both series being arranged in interfingered reas thebead-like projection formed by such in= ;necting said pin to the draftend of the grip and for providing a handle by which the pin may bemanually manipulated to insert it lengthwise through the openings of thetwisted loop portions of both series or to withdraw it therefrom, andthe exterior surface of the portion of said pin extending through suchloop portions being smooth to enable the interlocked looped portion tomove longitudinally on said pin under stresses tending to change thediameter of said body portion.

5. A cable grip comprising a tubular body por tion consisting of a splitsleeve composed of a plurality of strands interlaced to form an openmeshed structure with a series of loops along each longitudinal edgethereof, the mesh structure of said body portion being capable ofvarying in a radial direction to increase and decrease thecross-sectional area enclosed thereby, the outer projecting ends of theloops in each series being twisted to provide loop portions projectingoutwardly from the tubular plane containing the strands of said bodyportion and disposed transversely to the longitudinal edge thereof sothat the openings of such loop portions are longitudinally aligned, theoutwardly projectin twisted loop portions in one or such series beingdisplaced longitudinally from the outwardly projecting twisted loopportions on the other of such series and, such that the loop portions ofboth series are arranged in interflngered relation with the loopportions of one series paired with the loop portions of the otherseries, the paired loop portions being closely adjacent to each otherand each pair of loop portions being substantially spaced from adjacentpairs, the interflngered loop portions as a whole forming alongitudinally extending, bead-like projection on such grip, and meansextending through the aligned twisted loop portion of both such seriesto .detachably 1 lock the same in interfingered relation, saidlocklation without crossing of the strands of which I such loop portionsare composed and to form a longitudinally extending bead-like projectionon such grip, and means extending through the ,alined twisted loopportions of both such series ing means consisting of a rigid, elongatedpin removably threaded lengthwise through the aligned openings in thetwisted loop portions of both series and offset from the tubular planecontaining the strands of said body portion, said pin having a length atleast as great as the bead-like projection formed by such interlockedloop portions and having a smooth exterior surface in the region of suchprojection to enable the interlocked loop portions to movelongitudinally on such pin under stresses tending to change the diameterof said body portion.

LOYAL KELLEMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name c- Date 832,401 Martin Oct. 2, 19061,247,269 Hay Nov. 20, 1917 1,638,704 Pope Aug. 9, 1927 1,710,431Schlehan Apr. 23, 1929 1,851,153 Buehring Mar. 29, 1932 1,994,674 VanInwagen Mar. 19, 1935 HZSZEEBE -IHBZZ'SJS

